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contemporary fiction

A Spark of Light By Jodi Picoult

Have you ever read a book with a really difficult topic? Did it make you think? Did it make you see the other side?

Well, Jodi Picoult’s latest book, A Spark of Light did just that for me.

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A Spark of Light is about some very real characters, a women’s reproductive health services clinic, and a desperate and distraught gunman who bursts in and open fires.

This book is written in reverse. This can be weird at first. The event happens, and then you go backward. All the Missing Girls also did this and while it isn’t my favorite way to read a book, you do get used to doing so. With books like this, it is best to read as much as you can in a short amount of time. Don’t let this writing style turn you off though, Jodi Picoult does it well.

What I liked most about this book were the characters. There are many, and each one is connected to the clinic for different reasons. Each person has their own belief system about abortion, what is right, and what is wrong. They make some of their choices based on this, and you can really see the different sides coming through.

When you are writing about a topic as heated as abortion, it can be difficult to express both sides of the debate. I think Jodi Picoult did this well. And she does this by weaving the different viewpoints into the story through all of the different characters.

A Spark of Light not going to be for everyone. For some, this book might simply be too hard to read because of the topic. There could be personal reasons for staying away.

However, if you think you can handle this type of topic, I will recommend this book to you.

You are not going to agree with every character, and you might hate some of them.

You might not even agree with how the book plays out.

But you will be able to spend time reading a story that will make you think about other viewpoints and the way people live their lives, and I think that is a good thing.

This is the third book I have read by Jodi Picoult. I read Leaving Time and Small Great Things and would love to read more of her books.